THERE WAS no evidence to suggest the introduction of bonus CAO points would attract greater numbers to sit the higher level Leaving Cert maths exam, an expert group recently told Minister for Education Mary Coughlan.
The advisory body argued there was a danger that bonus points could have the opposite effect to that intended and reinforce the view that higher level mathematics was difficult and could dissuade participation. Some 16.2 per cent of Leaving Cert candidates sat the higher level exam this year.
The report by the Project Maths Implementation Support Group, which was chaired by Frank Turpin of Intel, contained arguments both for an against the idea, which Ms Coughlan this week said she hoped to implement by 2012, but failed to agree on the introduction of such an incentive.
Ms Coughlan received the report in June.
The expert group said if the State Examinations Commission were to give bonus points for maths “it would send clear signals” that the education system values it over other subjects.
“It would risk devaluing student achievement in other subjects and potentially demotivate students. It could equally devalue the contribution by other subject teachers in schools and cause significant friction in the allocation of time and resources at local level,” the expert group warned.
In favour of the proposal, the report said if students already perceive the higher level course to be difficult, the availability of extra points might reward them for the perceived extra workload.
It also said the new Project Maths syllabus should improve participation and attainment levels but would take time to be implemented and that bonus points could work as a short-term action to immediately improve the supply of students with higher level mathematics.
The report said the “higher education sector has expressed reluctance in the past to offer bonus points through the CAO system, and considers it would be difficult to get such an approach agreed through their academic councils.”
Trinity College Dublin said it supported the idea of bonus points, but wanted to see consensus among all universities on the matter. The 13 institutes of technology, University College Dublin, and NUI Maynooth are yet to make a decision on the matter.
University College Cork president Michael Murphy yesterday said its academic council, which sets admission standards, was currently opposed to the bonus points proposal but the university’s leadership would continue to discuss the idea and engage with other universities on the subject.
Mr Murphy said evidence presented to the council about bonus points was not sufficiently convincing and that it did not believe the incentive would solve the problem.
NUI Galway president Jim Browne said there was scepticism about the idea in his institution and he believed the teaching of maths at second level by teachers not qualified in the subject needed to be addressed more urgently.
“We need to put in supports to help teachers,” he said. “Maths is not that difficult a subject when it is taught properly.”
Ms Coughlan said this week the more practical Project Maths course would be implemented in schools across the country from September. The course was run on a pilot basis this year in 24 schools and attracted a greater percentage of higher level students (18.7 per cent).
The Department of Education said the user-friendly initiative would be supported by significant investment in a programme of professional development for teachers, which will continue until at least 2013.
Mr Browne said the roll-out of Project Maths at Junior and Leaving Cert level was encouraging as maths was better taught through practical application.
